With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

Music reviews, gig reviews, fun trivia and extra added random stuff!

Westenra – Fulford Arms, York – Monday 1st May 2023 May 7, 2023

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 10:33 pm
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This was promoted as a bit of a Goth night bringing together four acts that might bring in punters on their way home from Whitby’s Goth Festival that weekend. While we didn’t get one of the headliners of the Goth Weekend such as Christian Death, we got four great bands thanks to promoter Velvet Sheep and the fabulous Fully Arms! First, it was a duo with a brilliant and very goth name, the Hagley Wood Vampires. They gave us acoustic goth folk full of incredible hooks and melodies. Lots of songs about vampires. “Vampires Kiss” would be perfect as a soundtrack tune if ‘The Hunger’ was ever remade. My favourite song was probably “Portrait Of Youth” based on Oscar Wilde’s novel ‘The Picture Of Dorian Gray’. (Incidentally, did you know that the story was considered particularly scandalous when first published in 1890? Largely because it had a theme of homosexual desire. Sadly, even in the 21st Century, some people are still angered and upset by such things!). The band’s choice of covers was truly inspired Bauhaus’ “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” and Eurhythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)”. I believe this duo is also in a band called VampiricA, which I will be checking out very soon!

The second act to take the stage was Hanging Freud. This lot gave us Deep obsidian-hued, brooding, sometimes menacing, industrial cinematic synth tunes. This was all underpinned by a dark heartbeat of rhythm. This was overlayed with some rather spiffing vocals which were ethereal, funereal (at times), and truly epic. If you are in that kind of mood where only those dark tunes will help then listen to Hanging Freud as the perfect accompaniment, I love them! Following that it was the turn of Feather Trade, who while they may not have ticked all the goth boxes are a brilliant band and one of the most original that I have seen recently. If post-punk had begun in the 21st Century Feather Trade would have been its vanguard. There were angular Keith Levene-inspired guitar sounds and bass playing worthy of Jah Wobble in his Public Image Limited days. On top of that, there were grunge elements with an occasional nod to Kurt Cobain vocally and drumming that Dave Grohl would be proud of. I felt elements of both Iggy Pop and Ren vocally, particularly on “Dead Boy”. After that song the main highlights for me were “Just Like Film” and Big Nobody”. But I need to make a special mention of the bass player, she is one of the finest that I have ever witnessed and I have seen many, like Tina Weymouth on speed, bloody awesome!

Finally, it was the turn of Whitby’s own, Westenra. On their website the band describes themselves as having “emerged out of the shadows of Whitby Abbey in autumn 2019, three lost souls each drawn to the dark mysteries and legends of that most magickal place: Luciferia (vocals), Karl (guitars), and Dominique (bass)“. That kind of sums up the Westenra vibe perfectly it was like watching and hearing Siouxse Sioux fronting a classic British heavy rock band from the 1970s. Great songs and a very tight band. “The Last Beat Of Our Hearts” is a beautiful tune with some incredible lyrics. Luciferia was briefly overcome with emotion while singing it, but bass player Dominique stepped in to comfort her and the show went on. The Westenra cover of Iron Maiden’s “Number Of The Beast” was a brilliant take on a British metal classic. Finally, all those years ago no one expected the Spanish Inquisition, right? Well at least according to Monty Python, anyway I digress. With a similar logic to that regarding the Spanish Inquisition, no one would expect a Cliff Richard song at a goth gig, would they? But we got one, the band covered Cliff’s UK and US top ten hit from 1976, “Devil Woman”. But this was never going to be a bland facsimile cover, Westenra took the song, dissected it, rearranged all its internal organs, and turned it into a very heavy, very dark tune and they really owned it! I must confess that before tonight I had not heard of Westenra, but now I am most definitely a fan!

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Bethlehem Casuals – Fulford Arms, York – Friday 21st April 2023 April 30, 2023

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 9:31 pm
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Another night and another great lineup at the Fulford Arms in York. The first to hit the stage, and they really did hit it hard, was the Apocalypse Disco. This hard electro-dance duo created enough energy to power York for a week. There was barely a let up in their powerful, pulsating sounds and the audience was lapping it all up. This was not just a simple set, but a full performance. Robin and Ian wore matching black boiler suits as they slammed through their take on 90s trance and big beats sounds. The new song “The Bridge” even gave a nod to Erasure in its sublime hook. If this bunch are not yet on your end-of-the-world playlist they need to be!

Flat Cap Carnival was next and who knew York could do Latin music so well? Actually, I did, as I have seen them before. This abundantly talented 7-piece is an incredible party band that it is impossible not to shake your arse to. But it is not just latin, there are parts of Cuban style, skanking, and ska-punk to name just a few. Their original songs are perfect, but their covers take them to another universe completely. “Careless Whisper” and “Spice Up Your Life” were masterclasses on how to cover a song. On social media, they describe themselves as “a Latin-infused Skanival band from York. Dancing is compulsory.” That seems a fair description to me. If Carlsberg made party bands they would definitely make Flatcap Carnival.

The headliners tonight are a band that I had never seen before, Bethlehem Casuals. They are like Polyphonic Spree or Animal Collective after a huge injection of raw, unpasteurised jazz funk juice. Probably the perfect band to follow the mighty Flatcap Carnival. The Bethlehem Casuals takes me right back to my jazz funk period, but probably with a touch more jazz than funk, a la Norman Connors’ “The Creator Has A Master Plan”. For a band that is steeped in complex and well-executed jazz tropes and some complicated time signatures, they are incredibly danceable. I have enjoyed listening to their music on line, but the live setting is where they excel.

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Bluetones (Acoustic) – Fulford Arms, York – Friday 1th April 2023 April 28, 2023

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 3:14 pm
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Many years ago, I saw the Bluetones (at Reading Festival 2000), so I jumped at the chance to see them play an acoustic set at the fabulous Fulford Arms in York. But before we get to them let me tell you about the support acts. First on stage was Pete Lambert, he is a folky storyteller with an exquisite skill for weaving great tales with his lyrics. I really loved “Ghost” and the bluegrass styled “Without The Whiskey” was a fine way to end a delightful but short set. He was followed onto the stage by Lissy Taylor, she is a wonderfully charismatic singer from Manchester. “She’s A Stunner” and “Healer” were outstanding and her cover of Amy Winehouse’s “Back To Black” was a great version of a classic tune. Before I get to the Bluetones I need to have a little rant. Why do so many punters at gigs talk loudly and persistently when an act, particularly a support artist, is on stage? Why don’t they just go to the pub?

This acoustic gig featured 50% of the Bluetones, which was Mark Morriss and Adam Devlin. Morriss announced it as a game of two halves with set 1 featuring no hits and a 2nd set after a cigarette break with all the hits. Although that was not strictly true as part 1 included some loud and enthusiastic crowd singalongs to “Down At The Reservoir”, “Bluetonic” and “Cut Some Rug”. The high point of the first half for me was “Carry Me Home”. But the one that seemed to hit the capacity crowd right in the heart was “A Parting Gesture” from the band’s debut album ‘Expecting To Fly’ from 27 years ago. After a brief nicotine break, Mark and Adam took the stage for the 2nd set. The cover of the Flying Burrito Brothers, “Hot Burrito #1” (a favourite song of Morriss for 30 years) was stylish and sublime. “Into The Red”, a song about the last great recession taken from the band’s last studio album ‘A New Athens’ sadly is still so relevant. But maybe that is helped by the fact that it is a great song. Incidentally, that last album was released in 2010, when will we see the next one lads? Thehighlight of the second half for me was “Keep The Home Fires Burning”. The one song that will probably never be left off a Bluetones setlist is “A Slight Return” and for this show, it was an absolute peak for a peach of a song which was probably the most popular tune of the night. The Fulford Arms roof was close to being lifted by 150 souls singing the magnificent refrain “You don’t have to have the solution. You’ve got to understand the problem. And don’t go hoping for a miracle. All this will fade away. So I’m coming home. I’m coming home” I was singing it in the car all the way home too. “A Slight Return” is the Bluetones song that even people who claim not to remember the Bluetones know. An intimate and perfect acoustic show from half of a great band. There a still a few dates left on this acoustic tour, grab yourself a ticket if you can, it will definitely be a worthwhile purchase!

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The Corsairs – Fulford Arms, York – Friday 10th March 2023 March 21, 2023

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 7:33 pm
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This was another gig put together by that wonderful human being Simon Pattinson for Northern Radar at the equally fabulous Fulford Arms. It was all for a great cause too and raised loads of dosh for St. Leonard’s Hospice. It was headlined by the Corsairs, but more of them later. Proceedings were opened by Everything After Midnight, this would be the second time that I have seen them this year. There is a portion of Wolf Alice and a dash of Pale Waves here. There is also a sprinkling of electric folk (think Traffic with a female singer), soft metal (maybe Evanescence), a pinch of British Prog, and obviously a huge amount of Everything After Midnight. Steph’s voice was always good and now she takes it towards greatness. I have previously suggested that Steph has vocals that remind me of Tori Amos and Ellie Roswell, and that remains true. This was a four-band gig and the second to take the stage was Lost Trends, who are clearly no longer lost and I am glad they have been found again. They have not tiptoed their way back, they came with a multi-megaton blast of sound. A long layoff for the Lost Trends boys, mostly driven by Covid, has not dimmed their power and passion one iota. They still have their usual “we can be better than New Order” sound, but now it is overlayed with some magnificent layers of Talking Heads-style NYC electro-funk. The north has produced some great guitarists, notably Mick Ronson and Bill Nelson, I think that we can safely add Pete Knaggs to that gang now!

Third, it was the turn of yet another fine York band, the Rosettas. Frontman Benji had a cold, but he didn’t let that get in the way of a pulsating set from a band that not only knows how to rock but also knows how to party hard. They are clearly all enjoying themselves and that infectious joy is shared by the crowd with some great dancing and singalong opportunities. “I Don’t Like This” is a great song for bringing the crowd together. Their choice of Blur’s “Song 2” as a cover was inspired and went down an absolute storm. A great band and most certainly one to watch for the future. The Corsairs may be a very young band, but this does not get in the way of their stunning ability to produce an absolute belter of a set. They may have started off a little understated but they really grew into this set and eventually knocked it out of the park. Current single “Jackie The Know It All” is a classy slab of prime Arctic Monkeys styling. There are some Kooks and Wombats influences in their songs too. These lads seemed to love their time on stage and undoubtedly converted many people that had not seen them before into fans. I hope that the Corsairs are around for a long while and I hope their first album, when they get to it lives up to the promise of their live set. I 100% believe that it will! As a footnote, I want to mention that someone actually left this gig early because it wasn’t “indie” enough for them. Seriously? What the actual fuck is indie anyway? Click here to take a look at Indie Chart number ones from the 80s. The usual suspects like the Smiths are included, but so is Jason Donovan. I can really feel a What The Fuck Is Indie Anyway article coming soon!

All the pictures, except the gig poster, were taken by Martin Swarbrick

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Erotic Secrets Of Pompeii – Fulford Arms, York – Thursday 9th March 2023 March 19, 2023

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 10:42 pm
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This was another show from the Northern Radar stalwart Simon Pattinson, he has never let me down with any of the lineups he has created so far. Would this gig be the first letdown? Read on to find out good people. First up was one of York’s finest young bands, City Snakes (look out for an interview with them here very soon). They were a relatively last-minute addition to the bill after the mighty Sun King had to drop out due to illness. and I have seen them in that position before. It never deters them in the slightest and I always feel that they play every gig as if they were headliners and they always look like they are having megatons of fun. This was an incendiary set to kick off the proceedings at the marvellous Fulford Arms. City Snakes get better every time that I see them. The rhythm section could be parachuted into the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and I think it would be hard to spot the change. “Spin Me Round”, “Paranoia” and “Mayfly” are awesome songs but the new single “Black And White” tops those with its fabulous blues-infused garage punk vibe. Get City Snakes in your life now!

Next, it was the turn of Black Skies, a band who have up to now played just a handful of gigs, although for me they sound like they have been playing together for years. They sound a little grungier, heavier, and probably better than Reef. There are also some slivers of the Spin Doctors in there too. They have some staggeringly good songs, notably “Soul” and “Reason”. Their drummer has all of Dave Grohl’s finest tropes and is clearly a key element of Black Skies’ engine room. One particular highlight in a great set was their smoky, heavy, swampy take on Nina Simone’s “Feelin’ Good”. This version problem took back ownership of the song after Matt Bellamy’s somewhat histrionic and over-the-top take on the tune.

I love the name of headliners Erotic Secrets Of Pompeii and until this gig, I had never heard of or seen them before. How can I tell you exactly what they are like? Well, I will attempt to do that by borrowing one of Rod Serling’s opening narrations from the original Twilight Zone TV series. “You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension – a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You’re moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You’ve just crossed over into the Twilight Zone“. Believe me, that sums up this great band really well. Imagine a laboratory that stores the DNA of thousands of rock stars. A lab assistant, unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, spills the vials containing Jim Morrison, Richard Jobson, Gary Numan, and Ian Curtis. The cleaner then accidentally blends them all in the dustpan and creates the Erotic Secrets Of Pompeii frontman. The band behind him could be a reincarnation of Bowie’s Isolar 2 touring band from 1978 but with Robert Fripp and Tom Verlaine added on guitar. Erotic Secrets Of Pompeii are a truly and wonderfully different band and one that is perfect for this century and this sad, mad world that we live in.

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Madam Misfit And Her Carnival Of Chaos – Fulford Arms, York – Thursday, February 23rd 2023 March 1, 2023

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 4:02 pm
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I have seen many gigs at one of York’s finest venues, the Fulford Arms, but never have I experienced anything close to Madam Misfit and her Carnival of Chaos. David Bowie once sang the line “turn and face the strange” and that night we certainly did face the strange. This show wouldn’t have been out of place in one of the weirder episodes of American Horror Story, notably ‘Freak Show’ (series 4 from 2014). It wasn’t just a gig, although Madam Misfit did perform a few tunes, it was more like a travelling carnival sideshow from the US midwest in the 30s. There are a number of different types of carnival sideshows in the USA, one of those is the Ten-in-One which would offer a program of ten sequential acts under one tent for a single admission price. It might include a freak show, but would definitely include “working acts”, Madam Misfits carnival was most definitely built on those working acts. The master of ceremonies was Adam Washington, sporting a red frock coat suit and knee boots to appear just like the finest ringmaster you could imagine, a top hat would have made the outfit perfect. Adam kicked off proceedings with a rendition of “Pure Imagination” from ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’, it was a performance that was fit for a London Theatre Stage. He introduced a fine magical, medley of madness delivered by the campest magician in the world, Magic Adam, juggler extraordinaire Ed Mondo, daring, dangerous, and dynamic duo the Safety Last Side Show, and of course the Empress of Chaos herself, Madam Misfit.

The Safety Last Side Show team is a married couple the Indestructible Man and the wonderfully named Velocity Bollocks. A mat of broken glass was arranged on the floor and Velocity proceeded to walk over it barefoot, yes absolutely no shoes were harmed in performing this feat, to be fair I don’t believe her feet were harmed either. Later Ms. Bollocks lay on a bed of nails, which is something that really didn’t look too comfortable to me. The Indestructible Man (or should we call him Mr. Bollocks?) did everything he could to prove his invincibility. He ate a light bulb, I sure as hell didn’t want to be around when that came out at the other end. He deliberately trapped a finger in a rusty old animal trap, he barely winced at this, meanwhile paper cuts make me cry out in pain. Finally, he undertook a couple of daring feats of sword swallowing. The second attempt using a sword with no handle, but attached to a rope which he said he needed to anchor before he swallowed it, a few wags in the audience suggested that he might anchor it to his todger, to be fair he did say it was too small for that. But how he did anchor it was a strange and painful to behold, a surprise to the audience, and indeed shocking for some. He used a staple gun to attach the anchor rope to his torso. It was a brilliant piece of weird theatre, I have one question, apart from did it hurt, how the hell do you practice and rehearse that?

Magic Adam, is certainly magic and also manages to raise the campometer to a mercury-breaking level. He comes across as a larger-than-life Vaudevillian Villain. the trick where he offered £1,000 for simply picking the right number from five, which was very clever indeed. Has he ever had to pay out the grand? I suspect not. Meanwhile, Ed Mondo wowed the crowd with a staggeringly good juggling act which consisted of him juggling up to five bowler hats. He used hands, knees, feet, elbows, and his head and made it look easy. Madam Misfit made a few appearances throughout the whole show and she was there to close proceedings by showcasing some of her rather splendid chap hop tunes. The plentitudinous, evocative, mountebankery that is the new single “Chu Chi Face”, a cover of the old song from ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’. My particular favourite was the splendiferously performed “Skin You’re In”. The evening was closed with the whole troupe returning to the stage for a pizazz-fuelled take on the Monty Python classic, “Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life”. This was not just another great gig, it was a staggeringly great show! Huzzah to Madam Misfit and her cunning and courageous courtiers. The Arctic Monkeys once sang the line “four stars out of five”, they certainly weren’t singing about Madam Misfit and her Carnival of Chaos, if they were then they would have sung five stars out of five!

All photos, apart from the show poster, were snapped by the titanically talented Neal Rylatt.

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Battle Of The Bands – Fulford Arms, York February 22, 2023

Filed under: News,Observation,Review — justwilliam1959 @ 7:38 pm
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The Fulford Arms Battle Of The Bands event for 2022 took place from 26th October to 2nd December last year with four heats followed by the final. The final featured the four heat winners; the White Roses (Heat 1), The Palava (Heat 2), The Rosettas (Heat 3) and City Snakes (Heat 4), and the judge’s wild card, I Tell Lies. It was an absolute honour to have been a judge for this magnificent contest. Obviously, as I was judging the contest I didn’t think it was fair for me to also review it. I would like to say a huge thank you to all my fellow judges and the fabulous team at the Fulford Arms who put the whole thing together. There were plenty of prizes for the winners and I am happy to offer a cheeky little extra prize for all five finalists if you’re interested. So White Roses, Palava, Rosettas, City Snakes and I Tell Lies. If you want to be interviewed by With Just A Hint Of Mayhem give me a shout!

Huge congratulations to the Palava who won on December 2nd last year. There is a video from each of the four heat winners below, including the Palava. Unfortunately, I could not locate a video from I Tell Lies, so click here to check them out on Spotify! The event was so successful that the Fulford Arms Battle Of The Bands for 2023 is even bigger. There will be six heats (the first is on 6th September), three semi-finals, and then the Grand Final on 22nd October. The poster above provides all the dates and details of how to enter. Who is up for it? I will be judging 9 of the 10 shows this time around. It would be great to see your band there, you know what to do! As a brief footnote, I enjoyed the event so much that I was a judge at a Battle Of The Bands contest at a local school, which also happens to be where I work now too!

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The Sheratons – Fulford Arms, York – Thursday16th February 2023 February 20, 2023

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 11:04 pm
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It seems like another age when gigs were forbidden during Covid, I am so damned happy that we are back to normal, well mostly! This show was the first time that the Sheratons, from Leeds, had played in York. This was the first date of a five-gig tour with three dates in England and a further two to come in Scotland. First up was the rather nifty and talented the Big Sleep. If Damon Albarn decided to add to his, already huge, musical portfolio and legacy by recording in a grunge style with a spoonful of prog it might sound a bit like the Big Sleep, although perhaps not quite as raw and not quite as good. This is a terrific band, but a special shout out to the drummer who oozes talent and drives the band like a wild human metronome. The second band to play was the White Roses from Leeds, this was the third time that I have seen them play in just around six months. The White Roses are not just a rock band, they are a band that always encourages the crowd to party, and we did! The singalongs and the getting down low worked really well. The last time I saw them was at the Battle Of The Bands at this very venue towards the end of last year. They were good then and they are even better now. The guitarist and co-vocalist carries the guitar hero poses incredibly stylishly, but this is not style over substance he is a bloody talented guitar player. The lead singer’s voice is occasionally reminiscent of Joan Jett. If you haven’t experienced the White Roses yet, sort it out!

Next up and in the penultimate position were the Sheratons, who I believe were the headliners, not sure why they didn’t close the evening though. The Sheratons are punk with a fine pop twist, but definitely not just a pop punk derivative, they are more original than that. I have previously reviewed three of their singles, but until now the only time that I had seen them live was back in November 2018 when they supported Skylights at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds. The recruitment of a new drummer since then has added a brand new metal-influenced dimension to their already rather excellent sound. The Sheratons’ set had many highlights, notably “These Kids”, “Raving And Drooling” and the new single “Bravo”. The only disappointment for me was that they played a cover of “Ziggy Stardust” at their Manchester gig, for a huge Bowie fan like me that would have moved an excellent show up a few more notches to hugely magnificent. The band that closed the night was Balcony Plants who play swampy, bluesy, punky metal. I detected some Sex Pistols, Clash, and Damned influences occasionally. I occasionally like using superhero analogies in reviews sometimes, so here comes another of those. Balcony Plants veer towards the immensity, power, and feeling of Swamp Thing more than they do towards the cunning of Poison Ivy and I make that statement in support of a great band. There were some truly stupendous riffs and classy vocals. It is also hard to ignore the upbeat message that Balcony Plants convey too, they are heavy, heartfelt, and humble. The cover of the Madness classic “Baggy Trousers” was a total gem and took the song to a place it has probably never been before. While that Madness cover was good the Balcony Plants’ take on Jacko’s “Billie Jean” blew the place up. This is a band that everyone needs to see!

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Flip Top Head – Fulford Arms, York – Wednesday 8th February 2023 February 11, 2023

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 2:12 pm
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It was weeks between my last gig of 2022 and my first of 2023, but only five days between my first and second gig of 2023. I was back at one of my favourite establishments, the Fulford Arms to see Flip Top Head, a band I had never seen before take the headline spot. In fact, I had never seen any of the five acts on the bill before, which is quite rare for me these days. The lineup was put together by the uber-talented Tom Beer of one of York’s finest bands, Bull. First up it was Cat Redfern and if Bjork made eerie, ethereal folk-rock influenced by Radiohead it might sound like Cat Redfern. I believe that some of Cat’s songs might fit perfectly on a Twin Peaks soundtrack, check her out. The second act to play was Big Rain In The Morning, a band that plays psychy, proggy, and folky sounds with a slight nod to the Velvet Underground and Lou Reed. Their vocal harmonies are phenomenal. The band featured the aforementioned Cat Redfern on bass and Tom Beer off of Bull on drums (is there any instrument that this man is unable to play?) Is there a band around now that is anything quite like Big Rain In The Morning? Probably not, this lot are a true bunch of originators.

Cat Redfern by Aron Murray of Vexed Music Photography

Third, onto the stage was Ellis D, that is a great name and a fab pun on the hallucinogenic drug lysergic acid diethylamide a.k.a. LSD. Ellis D brings some psychedelic funky fun all the way from Brighton. “Homecoming Queen” rocks big time. Vocally I was reminded of David Byrne, Jonathan Richman and on the higher notes perhaps even Russel Mael. The drummer is like a more controlled Keith Moon, if he was a super hero he would be called Metronome Man. The band encountered a few technical issues during their set but they didn’t let them phase it at all. This lot are great and very difficult to drop into any particular genre box. The penultimate act was a band called Victory Samosa who have megatons of organic pop hooks. Yes, I did say organic, there is none of that battery farmed pop shite here. Victory Samosa reminded me strongly of Daryl Palumbo in his Head Automatica side project from a few years ago. This is underpinned by some shades of early Franz Ferdinand and Rich Kids with Midge Ure. “Equinox”, “Little Miss Golden Fleece” and the song that probably isn’t called Cecilia prove that Victory Samosa have an amazing cache of great songs. When will there be a Victory Samosa album? I hope it’s soon. I can say categorically that this band are definitely one of my new favourites.

Ellis D by Aron Murray of Vexed Music Photography

Finally, it was time for the headliners, also from Brighton, Flip Top Head. Michael Jackson once said something along the lines of “bad is good”, well I think something similar applies to Flip Top Head, wait, scrub that, with this bunch it is more like “mad, is good”, or even “Mad is GREAT”. This band issue forth a colourful cacophony of sound that at times feels like it may have originated extraterrestrially. The lead female vocals evoke the weirdness and beauty of the Cocteau Twins and the soul and feeling of Clare Torry’ wailing vocal on Pink Floyd’s “The Great Gig In The Sky”. How many bands promote the trombone to the lead instrument in a few songs? Hardly any in my experience, but Flip Top Head do that with style and panache. Their songs are wonderful and I really like the contrast to the vocals with an almost spoken word narration, similar to “Private Investigations” era Dire Straits. I am looking forward to the release of their new single “Seventh Bell Number” next week. Incidentally, the song sounds excellent live. Alongside Victory Samosa I can confirm that Flip Top Head are another of my favourite bands. This was another banger of a night at the Fully Arms.

All the photos, apart from the gig poster, are by Aron Murray of Vexed Music Photography

Flip Top Head by Aron Murray of Vexed Music Photography

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The Rills – Fulford Arms, York – Friday 3rd February 2023 February 8, 2023

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 6:13 pm
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This has been a slow year for me gigwise so far, this is my first gig for 2023. This was another nifty little show promoted by Simon P of Northern Radar. I have lost count of the amount of Northern Radar shows that I have attended, but one theme runs through them all, Simon has never let me down with his choice of bands and artists. At least not yet anyway. Was tonight the first time I had seen a bad show from Northern Radar? Read on to find out! First up at the fabulous Fulford Arms was Everything After Midnight, I first saw them almost exactly a year ago at the York Vaults supporting Where’s Slater. What are they like? Well, there is prog, electric folk, metal, a pinch of Wolf Alice, and many other facets in their sound. Steph’s voice gets stronger every time I see them (this is the third time) and tonight I detected elements of Sandy Denny, Kiki Dee, and Ellie Rowsell. In a previous review of Everything After Midnight I said “Imagine Tori Amos if she took a much heavier direction with some added prog undertones, that is how Everything After Midnight sounded to me“, I stand by that comment!

Next up was Sun King a band that I have seen once before, back in June last year when they supported Sweet May at this very venue and that was their first gig. I can hear a whole range of influences in their fabulous sound; Small Faces, Paul Rodgers, Steve Marriot, Led Zeppelin, Paul Weller, maybe Prince on the falsetto lines, and at times a bit of that old Noddy Holder warble in the vocal. The band is tight and has a pitch-perfect grasp of the best classic rock vibes. But they go beyond just rock as they throw in some great jazz and funk licks for good measure. Seb, the lead vocalist was formerly with Naked Six and is related to British Metal royalty, he is Saxon frontman Biff Byford’s son. Biff was present humping gear for the band and later while chatting with Chris T of the Fulford Arms we thought, wouldn’t it be amazing to have Biff play a set at the Fully, maybe acoustic with Saxon, solo, or even the full band, perhaps even a residency! Biff if you’re up for that then get in touch, perhaps we can book Sun King as support!

The first time I saw Lincoln’s finest current band, the Rills was when they played the BBC Introducing Stage at the Leeds Festival back in 2021. Their stature has grown at a rapid rate and this was an incendiary set from a magnificent band. “World Leader” was immense and hugely powerful. This was the fifth show in their intense mini tour for Independent Venue Week 2023. They started in Falmouth on 30th January and worked their way to York via Swansea, Bedford and Oxford. The sixth and final show of that hectic schedule was in Blackpool the day after York. They have huge energy and that was transferred to the supremely enthusiastic crowd. The riffs were full-on and spectacular. The Rills put on a stunningly good show. So has Simon of Northern Radar let me down yet? Definitely not!

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